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Moncton mayor asks for volunteers to house thousands of funeralgoers 0

QMI Agency

Monday, June 9, 2014
2:49:34 EDT PM

A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer from the Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) has gloves put on his hands before entering, according to local media, the home of Justin Bourque at a trailer park in Moncton, N.B., June 8, 2014. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi

Hundreds of Moncton residents have opened their homes to accommodate out-of-towners for the funeral of RCMP constables Fabrice Georges Gevaudan, Dave Joseph Ross and Douglas James Larch.

Mayor George LeBlanc put out a call for volunteer home billets and got an "overwhelming" response, according to the city's Facebook page.

"Over 875 citizens have offered to host officers coming in from out of town. Due to your exceptional generosity, there may be the possibility that we have more homes than confirmed visitors. We thank you sincerely once again for the outpouring of support."

One resident said it would be an "honour" to have service members stay at her house.

"It was my son who texted me this morning asking could we take some in," Doreen Vautour wrote. "He says 'I will sleep on a floor to give them my room.'"

An estimated 5,000-7,000 uniformed officers will be travelling to Moncton to attend the regimental funeral for the three Mounties who were killed by a suspected lone gunman last week.

The funeral is to be held at 1 p.m. AT at the Moncton Coliseum.

Hundreds of members of the public are also expected to attend.

Many streamed past the caskets for the fallen men during a public visitation Monday at the Wesleyan Celebration Centre.

And mourners continued to drop by the Codiac RCMP detachment, where a massive memorial has grown since last week.

Those who can't make it to Moncton on Tuesday are encouraged to wear red -- in reference to the red serge worn by Mounties -- to show their support. A Facebook page for the campaign says it was created by a group of RCMP spouses, who are also selling "Red Serge Proud" T-shirts to raise money for the families of the dead officers.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gov. Gen. David Johnston are expected to be among the officials in attendance at the funeral.

A parade of RCMP employees and law enforcement from across Canada is planned before the funeral. The procession will begin on Millennium Blvd. and proceed on Killam Dr. to the Moncton Coliseum.

Limited seating will be available to the public, so several other venues will broadcast the ceremony, including the City Hall lobby. Gevaudan, Ross and Larche were gunned down last Wednesday after responding to a call about a man walking down the street with firearms. Two other officers were injured.

Justin Bourque, 24, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

The investigation continues in the case, with police canvassing the wooded neighbourhood where they believed Bourque hid out for a day after the shootings.

They are asking residents to check their properties for evidence.

After a lockdown of the area that lasted 30 hours, Bourque was arrested unarmed.